Code Talkers honored on South Dakota highway

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) -- Over 100 miles of highway in South Central South Dakota will now feature signs honoring a special group of South Dakota veterans.

The stretch of U.S. Highway 18 has been designated as the Sicangu Lakota Code Talker Memorial Highway.

The designation runs through Todd, Tripp and Gregory counties, along with the Rosebud Reservation.

Code Talkers were Indigenous military members who used their native languages to pass secret messages during World War One and Two.

Officials say it's believed that as many 200 tribal members from South Dakota served as Code Talkers during the world wars.